Floor-tread.



UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. TONKIN,

ANSON IA ELECTRICAL COMPA CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

FLOOR-TREAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,198, dated September 6, 1904;, Application filed a ua y 23, 1904:. Serial No. 190,317- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. TONKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ansonia, countyof New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Floor- Tread, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a floor-tread adapted for general use, as under a mat to give warning when a door is opened or under a table or elsewhere to ring a callbell or other alarm; and my invention has for its object to produce an article of this character which shall be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, certain in use, and practically impossible to get out of repair and, most important of all, which shall be so constructed as to effect an electrical connection when the slightest amount of pressure is placed upon any portion of the tread without regard to the direction from which the pressure may be applied.

Heretofore the floor-treads in general use have comprised a leaf or plate hinged at one end, the result being that if the pressure was placed at or near the hinged end of the plate it was by no means certain that electrical connection would be made. In order to overcome this objection and provide a floor-tread that will be certain in use and will always make electrical connection under reasonable conditions, I have devised a floor-tread consisting, essentially, of a lower plate and an upper plate insulated therefrom centrally and provided with a plurality of outwardly-extending arms any one of which is adapted to close the circuit upon being placed in contact with the lower plate.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of my novel floor-tread complete, and Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 in Fig. l.

A denotes the upper plate, B the lower plate, and C an insulating-block lying be tween the plates and to which both plates are riveted or otherwise rigidly secured at or near the center. Upon the under side of the lower plate is rigidly secured a sheet of felt or other insulating material, which I have indicated by 10. In the present instance I have shown the lower plate and insulating-disk 10 as circular, although it will be obvious that the special shape of the parts is wholly immaterial so far as the principle of the invention is concerned. Upper plate A comprises a central portion 11 and a plurality of arms 12, extending outward therefrom, the shape and number of these arms being wholly immaterial so far as the principle of the invention is concerned. In the present instance I have shown the plate A as comprising a central portion and six arms extending radially therefrom, as I have found floor-treads of the form illustrated in the drawings very efficient in use. Any other number of arms may be used, if preferred, and it is obvious that they need not extend outward radially,as in the drawings,but may be curved, if preferred. The essential feature of the invention is a plurality of contact-points surroundinga central portion, so that no matter upon what portion of the tread pressure is applied electrical contact may be effected without fail. In the present instanceI have shown the arms as curving upward slightly and then downward toward the lower plate. The arms are of course spring-arms, and the normal position of their ends is just out of contact with the'lower plate, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

13 denotes a binding-screw upon the upper plate, and 14: a binding-post upon the lower plate, the said binding-post being shown as struck up from the metal of the plate. It will be obvious, however, that the special manner in which the electrical connections are made is'not of the essence of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. Afloor-tread consisting of a lower plate and an upper plate insulated therefrom, said upper plate comprising a central portion and a plurality of arms extending therefrom either of which is adapted to be placed in engagement with the lower plate.

2. A floor-tread consisting of a lower plate, an upper plate comprising a central portion and arms extending therefrom either of which IO ment with the lower plate and an insulatingblock between the central portion and the lower plate to which both plates are rigidly secured.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. TON KIN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE M. MoRRIsoN, HENRY J. STUART. 

